Study nature and turn your reflections into creative works, in the style of Ernest Thompson Seton, the subject of Wild at Heart, the next exhibit at the History Museum. Rekindle a fresh interest in the natural world at this nature journaling workshop, free with museum admission, with celebrated artist Margy O'Brien. Space is limited; registration is required.
Call (505) 476-5106 to reserve a space and receive a list of materials to bring to the class.
During Journaling in the Seton Style for adults, you'll learn techniques like cross-hatching and contour drawing. O’Brien will show and talk about her sketchbooks, do a demo, and offer guidelines to get started. After a lunch break (on your own; lunch is not provided), participants will fill pages in their own journals inspired by natural objects and guided by O’Brien. Bring a sketchbook, pencils, pens, and colored pencils or watercolors if desired.
Ernest Thompson Seton used his field observations in nature as the springboard to a lifetime of conservation, including numerous books and artwork featuring realistic wildlife. His life is celebrated in Wild at Heart: Ernest Thompson Seton, an original exhibit through May 8, 2011. The exhibit is presented with special support from the Academy for the Love of Learning, home of the Seton Legacy Project in Santa Fe.
A full year of special events, including workshops, tours of Seton Castle and performances by storytellers, accompany the exhibit. For details, go to http://media.museumofnewmexico.org/events.php?action=detail&eventID=644.
O’Brien’s work is included as part of another new exhibit, Drawing on Nature, at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History in Albuquerque (http://www.nmnaturalhistory.org/exhibits/2010DrawingonNature.html). The exhibit features the journals of 30 women, including scientists, writers, photographers, designers, teachers and wilderness guides.
“If children draw a tree, they begin to see with understanding, and that builds a bonding, or caring about what they’ve drawn in their journals,” O’Brien said. “There’s a long history of recording what we see, of noting the results of our curiosity about the world. Cave wall paintings, Leonardo da Vinci’s journals, and explorer’s logbooks are all ways of detailing discoveries and adventures.”
Funding for the Seton exhibit and programming events was made possible by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs; National Park Service/Save Our Treasures Grant Program; Museum of New Mexico Foundation; New Mexico History Museum Opening Gala Committee; Phyllis and Edward Gladden Endowment Fund; Herzstein Family Endowment Fund; and the Palace Guard.
